Insulator for flag type terminals



y 16, 1967 N. HOUBOLT 3,320,357

INSULATOR FOR FLAG TYPE TERMINALS Filed April 4, 1966 Jrwmqys United States Patent 3,320,357 INSULATGR FOR FLAG TYPE TERMINALS Neal Houbolt, Joliet, Ill., assignor to Jemco Engineering (30., Joliet, 111., a corporation of Illinois Filed Apr. 4, 1966, Ser. No. 539,873 Claims. (Cl. 174-133) This invention relates to an insulator for a flag-type terminal wherein the insulator may be assembled to the terminal merely by pushing it onto the end thereof whereupon it snaps into retained position.

One object of the invention is to provide a pre-formed insulator of molded plastic, such as nylon or the like, which has a socket member to cover the wire crimp and the insulation support portions of a flag-type terminal and leaves the flag portion exposed for attachment to a spadetype terminal.

Another object is to provide an insulator of this general character which requires no tools for installation on the terminal and can, if required, be removed, although it is normally retained on the terminal by an inherent design feature, to wit, a retainer blade which engages the rear edge of the flag of the terminal after the terminal has been inserted int-o a socket member of the insulator, the insulator being provided with a slot from the open end thereof which terminates adjacent the closed end thereof to receive the flag of the terminal.

Still another object is to provide the retainer blade in the form of a resilient spring-like element that terminates in a retaining latch for the flag of the terminal, the retainer blade being deflectable as the flag is inserted into the slot of the insulator to permit the flag to pass the retaining latch whereupon the latch automatically snaps back into retaining position behind the flag after it is fully inserted.

A further object is to provide the latch portion of the retainer blade with an inclined front edge so as to automatically deflect the retainer blade during the operation of inserting the terminal into the socket of the insulator.

Still a further object is to provide a modified construction in which the retainer blade has additional length to decrease its stiffness yet keep the overall size of the insulator to a minimum.

With these and other objects in view, my invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of my insulator, whereby the objects above contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims and illustrated in detail on the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a flag-type terminal with my insulator mounted thereon;

FIG. 2 is an end elevation thereof;

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a section view on the line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 3 showing the terminal being inserted into the insulator;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view on the line 6-6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a side elevation of the terminal and insulator showing the side opposite that shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view thereof on the line 88 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a sectional View on the line 9-9 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 10 is a sectional view on the line 1010 of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the insulator shown in FIGS. 1 to 10; and

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a slightly modified form of the insulator.

On the accompanying drawing I have used the reference numeral 10 to indicate an electric wire and 12 the insulation therefor. A flag-type terminal is illustrated 3,320,357 Patented May 16, 1967 comprising a wire crimp portion 14, an insulation support portion 16 and a flag portion 18. The flag-type terminal 14, 16, 18 may be applied to a single wire as shown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 5 or to multiple wires as shown in FIGS. 7 and 9.

My insulator comprises a tubular socket shown genorally at S which may be formed by molding it from plastic material, such as nylon or the like. The socket S comprises a tubular portion 20 adapted to receive the insulation support portion 16 of the terminal, a reduced tubular portion 22 adapted to receive the wire crimp 14, a closed end 24 at the bottom of the socket and an open end 26 opposite the closed end 24. A flag-receiving slot 28 extends along the socket S from the open end 26 toward and terminates adjacent its closed end 24', and is adapted to receive the flag 18 during the assembly of the insulator on the terminal. A retainer blade comprising an anchored blade portion 30 and a latch portion 32 is formed integrally with the socket S as illustrated particularly in FIGS. 8 and 11, and the latch portion 32 overlies the slot 28, is spaced thereabove, as shown, and has an inclined edge 36.

In the assembly of the insulator on the terminal, the socket S is pushed onto the terminal as shown in FIG. 5 and as the flag 18 passes the latch portion 32 it will engage the inclined edge 36 to deflect the anchored blade portion '30 and the latch portion 32 from the position of FIG. 3 to the position of FIG. 5 and, likewise, from the position of FIG. 4 to the position of FIG. 6. After the flag 18 has passed the latch portion 32, the latch portion will spring back into the position of FIGS. 3 and 4 to retain the insulator on the terminal during normal usage of the terminal. At any time it is desirable to remove the insulator for any reason the latch portion 32 can be manually deflected sufliciently to permit the flag 18 to be withdrawn from the slot 28 in an obvious manner.

The anchored blade portion 30 of the retainer is relatively stilt, extending as it does tangentially from the tubular socket S, as shown in FIG. 8 for instance. If less stiffness is desired, the latch portion 32a shown in this figure may be connected by an intermediate portion 38 as shown in FIG. 12 between the latch portion and the anchor blade portion shown at 30a. The latch portions 32 and 32a are located adjacent the open ends of the slots 28 whereas the blade portion 30 of FIG. 11 is also adjacent this end, but the blade portion 30a in FIG. 12 is adjacent the opposite end of the insulator. In each instance, however, the retainer blade and the socket member are integrally molded and the entire insulator is of minimum dimensions with respect to the size of the flag-type terminal itself.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of the parts of my insulator without departing from the real spirit and purpose of my invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claims any modified forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents which may reasonably be included within their scope.

I claim as my invention:

1. An insulator for the wire crimp and insulation support portions of a flag-type terminal comprising a tubular socket member to receive the terminal, said socket member having an axially extending slot in one side thereof from the open end thereof to adjacent the closed end thereof to receive the flag of said terminal, and having a resilient retainer blade adjacent the open end of said slot and overlying said slot, said blade having an inclined portion to coact with said flag to deflect said flag as said flag passes it and being adapted to spring back to retaining position after passage of said flag to engage the rear side of said flag to normally retain said. terminal against removal from said insulator.

2. An insulator in accordance with claim 1 wherein said retainer blade has a portion anchored to and extending tangentially from said tubular socket member, and a latch portion for engaging said flag.

3. An insulator in accordance with claim 2 wherein said retainer blade has an intermediate portion between said anchored portion and said latch portion which extends axially of said tubular socket to reduce the stiffness of said retainer blade, and said anchored portion is adjacent the closed end of said socket.

4. An insulator in accordance with claim 1 wherein said tubular socket and said retainer blade are integrally molded from insulating material.

5. An insulator for the wire crimp and insulation supporting portions of a flag-type terminal comprising a tubular socket member having a portion to receive said insulation support portion and a reduced portion to receive said wire crimp portion, said socket member having an axially extending slot in one side thereof to receive the flag portion of said terminal and having an integral retainer blade comprising a blade portion extending from said tubular socket and a latch portion for engaging the rear edge of the flag of said terminal after said flag has been inserted in said slot, said retainer blade being defiectable to permit passage of the flag into the slot and inherently resilient to return to a position behind said flag for retaining purposes.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS LARAMIE E. ASKIN, Primary Examiner. 

1. AN INSULATOR FOR THE WIRE CRIMP AND INSULATION SUPPORT PORTIONS OF A FLAG-TYPE TERMINAL COMPRISING A TUBULAR SOCKET MEMBER TO RECEIVE THE TERMINAL, SAID SOCKET MEMBER HAVING AN AXIALLY EXTENDING SLOT IN ONE SIDE THEREOF FROM THE OPEN END THEREOF TO ADJACENT THE CLOSED END THEREOF TO RECEIVE THE FLAG OF SAID TERMINAL, AND HAVING A RESILIENT RETAINER BLADE ADJACENT THE OPEN END OF SAID SLOT AND OVERLYING SAID SLOT, SAID BLADE HAVING AN INCLINED PORTION TO COACT WITH SAID FLAG TO DEFLECT SAID FLAG AS SAID FLAG PASSES IT AND BEING ADAPTED TO SPRING BACK TO RETAINING POSITION AFTER PASSAGE OF SAID FLAG TO ENGAGE THE REAR SIDE OF SAID FLAG TO NORMALLY RETAIN SAID TERMINAL AGAINST REMOVAL FROM SAID INSULATOR. 